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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24149665">No good deed (can redeem me)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lynx_the_Defier/pseuds/Lynx_the_Defier'>Lynx_the_Defier</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Art, Dark, Death, Evil, F/F, F/M, M/M, MC that does bad things, Masochism, Morally Ambiguous Character, Multi, Not intelligent but wise, Self-Harm, The things we do for art, misinterpretation of love, self indulgent</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 19:14:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>17,860</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24149665</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lynx_the_Defier/pseuds/Lynx_the_Defier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A murderer died in one world - only to be reborn in another. </p><p>She, an artist, an accomplished killer, landing in the Naruto verse? Unexpected. Finding herself in a body of an old, OP, OC that was so cringe her eyes hurt? Very considerate. Meeting the cast and finding herself thrown into the main plot? Bothersome.</p><p>Will she find friends in a world where killing was advertised? In the midst of child soldiers, blood and teenage angst (and the festering ground for weebs, lets not lie to ourselves)?</p><p>(Or: how my OC gets thrown into the Narutoverse, and how I hope to make this cliche story original.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Don't Know Yet - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>66</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/14784758">Corpse Demon</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnknownRegion/pseuds/UnknownRegion">UnknownRegion</a>.
        </li>

    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She was an artist; at her core, the aspects that made her, all gravitated towards art. Be it painting, drawing, singing, dancing - all was art. She knew that it bordered on mad, the obsession with art. Or rather, <em>it was mad.</em> The things she could sacrifice, <em>do</em>, for art...</p><p>Well, lets say that most people would not approve. Right now, sitting on a stool in a very worn out apron, if anyone saw her she would go to jail. Why? Because not even two metres before her lay a fresh corpse - blood pooled around it, right from his slit throat. The man was still warm, barely past the brink of death. His eyes were spread open, wide, in surprise; hands just stopped moving in shivering convulsions.</p><p>It was beautiful.</p><p>If anyone found them, right now, the only thing separating her from the corpse was her canvas - the white expanse of it so<em> irritating</em> -  the knife she used to kill him on the floor, easy evidence. She did not bother washing the fingerprints; not yet. It was all a part of the picture, the <em>solidified, true,</em> personification of death.</p><p>She trembled, stomach waltzing in her body in Spanish rhythms, a confusion of power contracting her muscles. The weight in her lower abdomen was so sweet, but the intent in the head so morose. So <em>perverse</em>. Disgusting. Her eyes rummaged over the corpse, fingers twirled with the paintbrush in her hand. Its end was stiff, suitable for oil paintings, and the callous on her middle finger harsh - but she hesitated. This was what she wanted, <em>so badly</em>, this is what has tempted her for so many years. This was her downfall. She recognized it, from the beginning knew this would be it. And yet...</p><p>Shuffling on the stool, her legs twitched. This was a decision she made aware of the consequences. Aware that it would be seen as bad, <em>evil</em>, against the society. Aware that her mental state was far from unstable enough to... <em>Excuse</em> this. Well, it wouldn't be excused either way, but at least explained. <em>A mental breakdown, driving the starving artist to murder </em>: she could see the headings in the news. But that wouldn't be true - she knew what she was doing, and although the actions did partially derive from desperation, they were made by a sane person. Or as sane as a murderer killing for art could be. The point is, she knows the consequences. Knows that killing someone is <em>bad.</em></p><p>But this was what her art needed. This was the push it needed to improve. Human imagination was plentiful, but there was only so much it could accurately create. To portray something truthfully, she needed to see it, to experience it. And when killing herself to experiment was not an option, she turned to the second best.</p><p>Her heart beating like a hammer, drumming in her ears, angry. Lustful. The pressure in her abdomen sweeter than sugar, blood rushing to her head - blood flooding the floors, stopping inches away from her feet.</p><p>There was no going back.</p><p>The brush dipped into the paint, like the blade of guillotine.</p><p>...</p><p>She expected to be caught. Intelligent enough to understand that getting caught was inevitable, she still managed to evade justice for a long time. It took them years - <em>literal years</em> - to pin her as the perpetrator. Oh, she was a suspect before that, but only a suspect; there was no solid evidence that it was her. To be honest, a part of her heart was filled with pride, that she avoided this for so long. That watching all those crime documentaries was worth it. </p><p>All it boiled down to was her eye for detail. She knew what could be used as evidence, and she destroyed it. She looked at a corpse and knew exactly how to get rid of it - at the start she was clumsy, of course, like a foal learning to walk. The work was more than hard, and there were days when only the prospect of cleaning afterwards stopped her from killing her next victim. It has to be known that the one thing she detested more than the lack of inspiration, was physical exercise. And chopping up a human body was by all means exercise; she would even argue that it was very primal, animalistic.</p><p>Her ancestors should be proud.</p><p>Despite being an over-glorified version of a butcher, which seemed quite poetic if you ask her, the <em>job</em> was cumbersome enough to prove hard. She could handle the cleaning, the careful erasure of all marks of murder - but dividing the body required more strength than she expected. Moving it from place to place was even more bothersome. But there was only one thing she could do - prevail. If she wanted to remain uncovered, she would endure. And so she did.</p><p>Besides, she didn't need to get rid of it every time. And there were multiple ways to do so, too - some easier than others, but all paths to the same goal. There were times when she staged suicide; one of the less bloody ways to hide murder, really, the only problem being finding the right victim (they needed to be depressed, isolated, desperate for a one night stand with a women ready to listen to their woes). There were also the more hideous methods, the ones she moaned about hating - sinking in acid until nothing's left, chopping down and throwing to a river, burying in the woods with all identifying features apart from DNA burned out (fingerprints, the tongue, the hair, any pimples or birthmarks, eyes, scars, etc). She could get quite creative.</p><p>The variation was for many purposes, but the most prominent was to not make a pattern. That was a straight way into the police station, so she did everything to avoid it.</p><p>And it worked!</p><p>Many of her murders were officially never discovered, only marked as a missing person or suicide. She was successful - her art was too. Her paintings sold for hefty prises, realistic to a fault, terrifying and yet so magnetizing. She saw it in the viewers, in the galleries - their eyes, their expressions. The fear the dark canvases inspired, a fire for her soul, the passion in them her pride. When people asked how she did it, she answered truthfully: her fascination with death prompted her to imagine the most gruesome and bloody scenes, to make them <em>real.</em> </p><p>Some questioned her sanity, but she became revered by the art community.</p><p>She was open about her art, she like the attention. <em>That</em>, was her downfall. It took only one conversation with the wrong person to expose her. Okay, maybe not expose her, but certainly make her a suspect. Because who would have expected an experienced psychologist in a dingy art gallery in a small town in northern England? And he was nice, very nice - invited her to dinner, spoke with her like a friend. At her level. She took a liking to him straight away! Even if she knew she would be unable to kill him because of his position (they spoke a bit about work at the dinner, which revealed him to be an accomplished doctor and a person of many talents).</p><p>It was fun.</p><p>Until it wasn't. He asked the right questions, he fallowed her to the right places. He recognized the correct signs marking her a killer. Yes, it took him moths, but he was able to piece enough evidence to lock her for life. He dug her a grave and pushed her in - and it was too deep, too steep to crawl out of. Although she said nothing, not a word of her deeds, she was jailed. Awaiting trial in a cold cell.</p><p>She didn't ask for a lawyer.</p><p>Though, she wouldn't wait to go to court either; she did not plan to live long enough to do so.</p><p>Playing witness, judge and executioner for so long gave her experience. She knew how to kill - herself counted in. Even in such a perilous situation as this, it would not be a problem. She'd already written her suicide letter - a screw and a wall, substitute for a paper and a pen. The writing wasn't very pretty, but hell if she hadn't tried to make it so. Time was also a factor; she didn't have much of it. </p><p>Fortunately, looping the makeshift 'rope' around her neck was easy. As was hanging it up on the bars shielding the light on the ceiling (the perks of being tall) and making sure it would lift her off the ground.</p><p><em>Now, the final step, s</em>he thought standing on her bunk-bed's frame. <em>Just jump.</em></p><p>It was harder than she expected. Making that one small step into the abbeys. <em>Come on! </em>She played God enough times to not be afraid! Although she did not know what was on the other side, she had send enough people there to be a hypocrite, a coward, for wavering now! This is what she planned. What she wanted!</p><p>
  <em>Jump!</em>
</p><p>And so she did. Her feet slid off the metal bar easily, quickly. Her weight pulled on the curled bed-sheet around her throat, gravity the metaphorical blade. Pain came unexpectedly, winding in her mouth, in the tendons of her muscles. She choked, tried to grasp at the 'rope'. In vain. The air was cut, her lungs constricted.</p><p>Black crept in her vision.</p><p>Death swallowed her like a snack.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>First taste of fresh air!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She woke up.</p>
<p>It was a long moment, very hazy - she couldn't pin-point the exact second she came to awareness, but it was slow. Like a beat of a butterfly's wings in slow motion - her eyelids fluttered open, lashes sticking together. A yawn tore through her mouth, lion-like and sleepy. Her throat was a bit sore, as was the rest of her body - <em>the last motel was way better, I regret stopping here... And why is it so cold?! Did I leave the window open? Ugh!</em></p>
<p>She turned to her side, but winced in pain. What the fuck? Something was poking her in the ribs, so uncomfortable... She flipped to her back violently, but that only made it worse! The surface underneath was equally hard and bumpy. What in <em>hell</em> is going on? Even the dingiest motel she came to reside in had beds better than this!</p>
<p>And then it came to her; the prison, the bunk bed, the coiled rope of linen... As if struck by lightning, she staggered up. Her legs felt like jelly, head heavy - black dots swarmed in her eyes, the green surrounding a flash. She flailed backwards, almost falling down, saved only by catching herself on a... Tree? The bark under her fingers rough, sculptured by years of wind, rain and god knows what else. Finally regaining her sight, she noted the vivid brown bordering on khaki of the wood. Her brows furrowed. Somehow, it looked unnatural.</p>
<p>She blanched, her stomach unexpectedly flipping. Then heaved on the grass, insides lurching, crawling like bugs. The spikes of pain pricking at her guts persisted for a while, though now more of a nuisance than anything. That wasn't what she focused on, either way.</p>
<p>
  <em>How the fuck am I alive?!</em>
</p>
<p>The question pounced in her mind, a tiger in a circus - she remembered clear as day the feeling of her airways constricting, lungs collapsing, throat squeezing. It was not something she would forget any time soon. Or never at all - how the darkness swallowed her whole, as if she was small, unimportant. Falling on her knees she puked again, blood racing - her head was ready to burst, every heart-beat resounding with the force of a thousand drums. Every thought a concerting cacophony of echoes, <em>why, how, I'm dead, I died, I died, I choked. My heart stoppedSTOPPEDI'm not alive. I'm breathing!BREATHING!HOW?!WHYwhynonononono... Not possible. Is this hell? HELLFUCKNOnonononoYES!DEATHwaitedsolong...</em></p>
<p>Her breathing hitched. Head went up, eyes jumping from object to object - a bush, a bush, a tree, another tree, grass, grass, grass - but she wasn't seeing them. They were a blur whirling in her mind, a whirlpool of images with no rhyme or reason. Panic seized her heart when nothing cleared, as if locked in a frame of an amateur movie made by a 90's camera. Vertigo rushed to her brain, airy as she jumped straight up, black almost overtaking at the sudden motion. Dragging her feet forwards, she made a few unsteady steps before tripping over. The impact ripped a cry from between her clenched teeth. Strangled in pain, in the cold realization that this is not what she wanted, the women blanked out.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry that it's so short, but I wanted to spread out the content.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It took her embarrassingly long to figure out she was not dead. That she wasn't in some type of hell, or worse, heaven. When she woke up the second time the confusion was a little easier on her stomach, though quite merciless otherwise. The world twisted in her eyes, eyes that burned with pain - the worst hangover she had didn't come close to this. It was surreal, how convinced she was that being alive wasn't an option. Despite all the logic screaming at her that for one, she's breathing, and dead people don't breathe, two, that this clearly doesn't look like hell, and three, that if she were in heaven (which was as probable as the devil being there too) she would not be in so much pain, she still couldn't believe it.</p><p>It was just too <strike><em>horrible</em></strike> good to be true. Because she planned her death; meticulously, like each of her kills, sure that it would work. <em>Was it all a fever dream? Did I imagine Luke and getting caught? The jail, the rope? </em>But that wouldn't make sense. She never had a fever dream before, but she didn't even remember being that sick! And all the pain she experienced felt so real - too physical, too ingrained in her head to not be true. Plus waking up naked in a forest certainly could not be a consequence of any sickness!</p><p>And things just kept growing weirder!</p><p>After she had enough mind to look around, she found that without the persistent dizziness, her sight was perfect. Which should not be true even in glasses - her sight was terrible, anything that was more than a few inches ahead blurred, de-shaped and misty. Yet now, everything was in sharp focus. She could see the little birds flocking between the branches of distant trees, she could count the leaves on the highest of oaks, the blades of grass metres away. In all honesty, it was disorientating. Never in her life has her sight been so good, not when she was a kid, not when she was in her prime. And glasses could only do so much.</p><p>Another thing was her body - getting over the shock of her sight, she deigned to look down, which was not a good idea, because what she found there was even more startling - and precisely, that it was not hers. The smooth expanses of milky skin, the sculpture like muscles shifting underneath, the long strands of red hair falling over her shoulders, dragging down to her feet... That was decidedly not hers! No, her body was a total opposite of what she looked down at - blemished skin with visible blue veins and stretch marks, the fat lingering passively below, the hairy mushes covering her limbs like moss, the dark blonde hair reaching just above her waist... That was her. Not this godly beauty, so sporty and <em>shaved. </em></p><p>She stared at her belly as if it had wronged her, for longer than was perhaps healthy. Because, <em>what the fuck?</em> You didn't get the perfect body just like that! Yeah, she died, but you don't get a figure of your dreams in the afterlife, do you? Maybe if this was heaven, but that's as possible as pigs growing wings! Just what is happening?</p><p>Flexing her fingers she tried to work out her predicament. This obviously was not something she could have ever predicted. None of her plots involved waking up in a forest, naked, in the body of a Victoria Secrets model. She brought her hand up to her head to slap herself, but stopped abruptly, mid motion. Her wrist... Gaze locking on the joint, the women let out a frustrated sigh - a clean scar, like a bracelet wined around the limb. It was quite wide and brought on the impression that the wound that made it was very deep.</p><p>
  <em>It was.</em>
</p><p>And that was clearly her work. She would recognize it, having been looking at it every morning for the past ten...? Fifteen? Years. The cut was precise, purposeful, perfectly perpendicular to her veins. Not made by a desperate teen trying to relive their tension, but by a person interested in mutilating their own body for art. To make a mark, to draw blood.</p><p>
  <em>That was one of my better paintings.</em>
</p><p>But, that posed another question; why? Why would a completely foreign person have her scars? Confirming that the other wrist was also marked, she sat up straighter. If she knew profanities adequate enough, she would have used them - as of now, the only one passing her lips was a quiet "What the fuck?". Really, this was getting absurd. And not in a way that implied that this made any sort of sense. It was the level of absurd you only got after a good dose of weed and crack. It left her in a state of sluggish disbelief. </p><p>
  <em>Great.</em>
</p><p>...</p><p>No matter what was going on, she decided, it was unwise to just sit there and do nothing. That would accomplish <em>nothing</em> and that wasn't the point. So, what <em>was</em> the point? This inquiry, as impossible to answer as it sounded, was a very motivating one. </p><p>Sitting on her ass all day wouldn't provide an explanation.</p><p>Weakly, she got up.</p><p>
  <em>Time for some exploring.</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After she gathered herself, the next logical step was to find a stream or a lake. She did not want to face dehydration, and if it was indeed a river, she could follow its course - which would undoubtedly bring her to civilization. Besides, it would make walking in one direction easier.</p><p>Though, on the other hand, that might've been a shitty idea - she wouldn't know, she never needed to survive in the wild before. Don't get her wrong, she read some basics about survival but did it stuck in her head? Not at all. Besides something as obvious as following a river, or noise, or the Northern Star, or a compass if you have one, she was completely green. A millennial like her, who never had to worry about such things, was destined to die in a situation like this - try as she can, she still doesn't know how to find food or build shelter. </p><p><em>Alright, that isn't the best prospect, </em>she thought while walking in as a straight line as possible, <em>I better find some civilization before it comes to anything unexpected. </em>Easier said than done. Her feet were already hurting from walking barefoot, and although she didn't feel tired, she suspected she soon will. And, all in all, travelling completely naked was uncomfortable. Not only because someone could see her - that wouldn't be that bad, she was beautiful, there was no reason to be shy - but also because her body was exposed to the elements. Bushes whipped at her calves and ankles, wind swept her skin chillingly and stones pinched her feet. Not to mention the scorching sun above, that sometimes reared its head from behind the tree crowns to burn at her shoulders.</p><p>In such moments a part of her felt happy that she was in a forest, and not in the open where the heat could get to her much quicker. Though, she did have her ridiculously long hair, that began serving her as a shawl at some point (she put it over her shoulder, let it cover her breasts and flipped it over the <em>other</em> shoulder so it flowed down her back freely). Worked almost like a crop-top. Though she never owned one before because of her unsuitable figure, she could guess it felt somewhat similar. Additionally, the hair was of a deep red colour, like wine - her favourite. So, not all was negative.</p><p>Before she got to ponder how idiotic it would seem if those meagre positives out-weighted the negatives that were clearly much more pressing, she heard something. The persistent hum of flowing water.</p><p>She froze, ears perking up. <em>Yes, this sounds like a stream. </em>The noise was faint enough that she would have missed it if she wasn't already straining her ears to hear anything similar. Even a highway or a road would have been alright (though for some reason her instincts told her she wouldn't find them). Oh, but this was decidedly water. She craned her neck from side to side, trying to locate the direction from which the sound came from. After some struggle, she turned to her right.</p><p>It turned out to be a good decision, because after some time, she saw it - the clear brook, sharply cutting through the greenery. It was shallow, allowing her to see the myriad of stones creating its bed. They ranged in sizes, from little bigger than grains of sand to wider than her torso - those crooked the direction of the water subtly, as did the broken branches marrying the bed from time to time like scars. Some were perpendicular to the direction of the stream, big enough to withstand the currents, and others were small, nearly swept with the flow.</p><p>Her nostrils were filled with the brisk smell of the water, pleasant in a delicate way that only a smell so fleeting can be.</p><p>
  <em>A godsend!</em>
</p><p>Cheering mentally, the woman crouched beside it. Although it seemed clean, she examined it with rigour; the waters were transparent, sometimes only mixed with sand, and she did not see any trash nearby. There were even small fishes fiddling between the stones; unfortunately too tiny to eat, but alive and well! Deciding it was worth the risk, she gathered a bit of the liquid into her cupped hands. Then brought it up to her lips and slurped a minimal amount.</p><p>It... tasted normal.</p><p><em>Well, if I'm gonna die from poisoning, at least I tired, </em>she mused while gulping down the rest of her portion. <em>Ah, just what my throat needed.</em> It has been dry from the moment she woke up, and with the sting of past bile lingered in her mouth, the feeling was really bothersome. She would live, of course, but it would have been a real nuisance. Now though, the cool water felt heavenly. <em>If it's the last thing I ever eat/drink, although it's quite tame, it's no less splendid.</em></p><p>After several portions, her thirst felt sedated. She sighed and...</p><p>
  <em>What the fuck?!</em>
</p><p>Her image in the water, though rippling and hazy, was recognizable. It wasn't her face, not at all - but she knew it. The soft chin and sculpted cheekbones, the purple eyes and the violet diamond in the middle of her forehead. Combined with the hair and the two identical scars on her wrists... Oh fuck. <em>Fucking shit.</em> She toppled over on her butt, too shocked to think about the dirt that would undoubtedly stick to her. <em>This is... This <strong>must</strong> be some cosmic joke! How is this possible? </em></p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>An Uzumaki OC. Her favourite, for a time. A cringe little character, really; she made it at twelve, what did you expect? She remembered it with a clarity reserved only for the most beloved of projects, projects that spanned years and years boiling in her imagination until they melted and sank into her soul, too deeply to ever forget. This was one of them. Her name was Lily, she was an Uzumaki and she was unbearably cliche. Long hair, beauty above any mortal creature, tear-jerking backstory under her belt and power of a god at her order.</p><p>She was also a Good Person TM, beloved by anyone she met. A Mary Sue, and a testament of her own childlessness. The woman groaned, memories of her youth flooding her mind; a weeb, an aspirin artist and an outcast. This is <em>just</em> the mix for a terribly obvious self-insert! One devoid of any flows the original might have had, an idealised version of herself, with cardboard personality as a result. She threw her head back and looked to the high heavens.</p><p>"Why, god, why? Is this real? Am I just fucking crazy?" she wondered aloud, voice hoarse but melodic. "Motherfucker..."</p><p>Covering her eyes with her forearms, she leaned back onto the grass. This was too much. Entirely ridiculous, preposterous, blasphemy! Like, she'd been in the fandom, she read the stories... Yet it never occurred to her that it might truly happen. "It" as in transmigration. Because what else? An elaborate prank? A fever dream? A coma induced imagination of herself as her OC? A TV station kidnapping her, changing her looks to resemble her own character and watching her reaction?</p><p>Logically, all of those were more probable than transmigration (or whatever else it was), but in the same time... She pulled at her hair; her scalp tinged with pain as real as any (this was not a wig). She counted her fingers; five and five, no change.</p><p>Those options were equally impossible for a multitude of reasons.</p><p>First of all, even though she was semi-famous, it was only in certain groups. As in, someone deeply interested in art probably heard of her, but otherwise? Rather not. And although she had money, she wasn't that rich. In other words, there was little reason to kidnap her (also, she was ugly by most standards, so sex or human trafficking was... Quite unbelievable). There were no friends that would want to prank her, too. Or that would have the ability to do so. And, as previously established, she didn't remember any sicknesses, and this didn't look like a dream.</p><p>But she clearly remembered dying.</p><p>
  <em>This looks like a traditional transmigration scenario.</em>
</p><p>...</p><p>It's not as if she were unhappy with this revelation (although she still wasn't convinced it was real). Don't misunderstand, she may have committed suicide, but if they hadn't caught her, she would've kept on living. From the start that was the plan; which didn't mean she had a death wish. Being locked in jail for the rest of her life was a boring future, compared to which exploring death on her own seemed... Interesting. Something she otherwise wouldn't have had the courage to do. </p><p>So, in other words, if this truly was transmigration, she wouldn't object. She would be happy, even. Because who wouldn't? Who wouldn't like to have superpowers, perfect body and the chance to kill almost indiscriminately? Well, if this <em>was</em> the Naruto universe, that is, which would make sense.</p><p>As much sense as anything can make in this situation.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lily's backstory was... Troublesome (ha). She was from Uzushiogakure, from the Uzumaki clan. She was sent for a long term mission outside her country's borders when the destruction of the village took place. Hearing of the decimation of her home broke her heart but she prevailed.</p><p>And then it... derived into different directions. <em>What?</em> She sat on that idea for so long that it had changed several times. Unable to decide which course of action would be best, she never really settled for one plot; in some versions, Lily hid away from the world, depressed with the thought that Konoha had betrayed her. In others, she'd seek revenge for her village, helping with the war efforts on the Konoha side, and in some she straight on attacked the Hidden Leaf, thinking that they were at fault for Uzu's destruction.</p><p>Of course after some time, she'd come around, middling with the main cast. Though that also went in a variety of ways - sometimes she would save Minato's Team Seven, willingly or not, therefore garnering his gratitude and bonding to Konoha. Or, she would start earlier and cross paths with the White Fang, saving his life and coming to the village with him even before Uzushiogakure would be destroyed. Otherwise, her story would begin much later, even after Naruto's birth - known throughout the Nations as a mysterious Missing-Nin going by the alias 'Bloody Whirl' (or 'Crimson Maelstrom', depending on how edgy she was feeling), and encountering Kakashi on a mission, and... Well, you can guess the rest.</p><p>The plots were pretty similar to each other, only differing with characters and times. And the level of angst.</p><p>The older she got, the more complicated narratives she would think out and the more she wanted to abandon Lily all together. All of it appeared stupider with each year that passed, and after she began her... Murderous career, she left the fandom for good, together with her 'beloved' OC. So, although her initial backstory remained somewhat the same through every version, what happened to Lily after she left Uzu was a mystery. A mystery which was now a pain in the ass!</p><p>Because, first off, when in the timeline is she? Is she before the Third Great Shinobi War or after? Is she in the midst of it, or at the beginning? Or maybe even before Uzu was destroyed? Still, only counting on the fact that this is, indeed, Naruto-verse. What if it isn't? She remembered some fucked up crossovers she created using Lily... Let's hope she's not in one of them, or god forbid, in the normal world! That would be just depressing.</p><p>Okay, this poses the question of how can she check where and when she is. It could be as simple as encountering someone, seeing a landmark or a piece of technology. Yet, at the same time, would she be able to pinpoint the moment in the Naruto timeline solely by a piece of tech? Or tell that it is or isn't this particular world? She saw Sakura using a flip phone in Shippuden, and it looked completely ordinary.</p><p>So, not really that simple.</p><p>Though, should she worry about it right now? For the moment she's stuck in a forest with no map or clothes, is it important in what universe she's in? That's a trick question, because the answer is both 'yes' and 'no'. On one hand, figuring it out wouldn't help her in getting out of here, and on the other, if she's in the middle of a Ninja War, she should be very careful where she wonders. Also, if she's in the Naruto-verse, and not for example Bleach, or any other popular Shonen where the dangers of stepping where you shouldn't are completely different.</p><p>In the end, the women chose to shrug her shoulders. As of now, she didn't have a way of passing any judgement, so she won't. Let her hocus on more important things, like getting food or not falling to hypothermia at night.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It got cold quickly. The wind danced chillingly across her skin, making her shiver. Goosebumps covered her whole body by the time the night arrived, and it only got worse. Her stomach gurgled menacingly, twisting and turning in hunger, like some monster in a cave. With darkness falling rapidly over the world, she had no other choice but to stop. walking with only the moon as a guide would be dangerous, no matter that she could barely see anything even with her 'godly' sight. In the night many predators went out to hunt, and although normally she was one of them too... This wasn't her home turf to assume she was at the top of the food chain (that she wasn't merely <em>prey</em>).</p><p>With crickets concerting in the bushes, paranoia settled over her. The sharp violins of whistling wind gauged into her like knives, unrelenting. With the last rays of light disappearing, she was presented with a dilemma - climb a tree or not? It was obvious that it was much safer up there, even if someone didn't watch or read any survival-type stories to support that claim. Pure logic. But the problem was that she didn't know how. Well, as a kid she had climbed some trees, yet that was long ago and the trees were usually toppled over. As an adult, she had never had the chance or need to climb them, so the skill was rusty at best. Additionally, she didn't know if she would be able to get down afterwords, or if she wouldn't simply fall off in her sleep (or if she would sleep at all; the branches didn't look very inviting). There was also the problem of just casually falling off - what if she broke a bone? Even with the famous Uzumaki fast healing, she wasn't convinced that it was worth it. </p><p>Staying on the ground was an option. It would spare her troubles, and probably be much easier on her back. But at the same time, there were much more dangers here, risks that she simply wasn't willing to take. Like wolves or bears (though aren't they good tree climbers?) or <em>worms</em>. Ugh. Disgusting. She looked from the tree to the earth - back and forth, more nervous by the second. It was so dark she no longer differentiated colours, and it would only get darker.</p><p>
  <em>Decide.</em>
</p><p>Her gaze stopped on the plant, rising metres above the ground. The lowest branches were just within her reach, so if she hooked her arms on them and hefted herself up... Theoretically, she should be able to get her feet on there too, and that was just a stretch of muscles away from actually being on the tree, so. She wouldn't have tried it in her original body, but 'Lily' was sporty. Her biceps, if clenched, were as hard as steel, and she weighed decidedly less than her former self. In theory, this should be easy.</p><p>She gulped, and did exactly what she thought of. It turned out to be both easier and harder, because while lifting herself from the ground by the branch was no problem, getting the rest of her body up there was troublesome. Being naked did not help, as the bark bit into her skin, and every time she opened her thighs, her parts were exposed. <em>It was not nice! At all!</em></p><p>Somehow, she managed. When her feet finally found the branch, the sky was already black. Or, rather, painted with stars. Pausing, she stared at the endless expanse, just visible enough from between the leaves that she could see the moon and a few constellations. But they... If she squinted, none of them seemed familiar. She was no astrologist, but she would recognize her own sky, for god's sake! Unblinkingly, she observed as the inane shapes of clouds passed by, revealing a completely foreign set of stars. If this was earth, she was on the other side of it - though that was also doubtful, seeing as the whole sky was visible. No smog, only some clouds. Everything seemed livelier.</p><p>And that was a tick for Another Universe theory.</p><p>Tearing her gaze away from the sky, she shuffled around. There wasn't much place, but after some careful manoeuvring, she sat leaning on the core of the tree, legs crossed on the branch. It was not comfortable, by any stretch of the word, but at least she felt safer. There was another branch on her right, just at the height of her ribs, so she leaned on it. She bent over and rested her head on her arms, her hair a feeble cushioning. </p><p>Closing her eyes, the woman imagined a plate full of meal.</p><p>Her stomach grumbled.</p><p>...</p><p>She woke up falling. Her first instinct was to grasp onto something. Flailing her limbs, she reached out...! And suddenly she stopped. The impact had her shaking, hands burning and head swaying. She blinked blearily several times, confusion settling slowly. What? <em>Where am I?</em> Before her eyes was tree bark, the valleys and crannies of it like a creation of a crazy sculptor. </p><p>Birds chirped nearby and chills went up her spine. But, before the cold seeped into her bones, she remembered; the fact that she's alive, in the body of her OC and probably in another dimension. <em>Right.</em></p><p>Scoffing, her eyes wondered to her hands... Oh. They were flat on the bark, as if stuck by glue, her grip almost non-existent. Almost as if... She made the motion to bring her hand up to her face, but it was stuck. It didn't want to unglue! Panicked, her heart was send racing; she turned frantic. She pulled and wrestled, all for nought. Her hands were stuck! <em>No!</em> Breath fast, she struggled with all her might.</p><p>
  <em>No results.</em>
</p><p>Panting, her throat let out a desperate whine. </p><p>And, as suddenly as she woke up, the 'glue' let up. She dropped heavily onto the jagged roots of the tree. A pained yelp resounding around. It was swiftly followed by a round of cursing and huffing, as the women picked herself up from the ground.</p><p>
  <em>So this is chakra.</em>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After her first usage of chakra, she wasn't feeling very assured. It was a complete disaster. Not only was she stuck on a tree against her will, but the tree also suffered - when the chakra finally let go, it burst the bark into splinters! Now there were four head sized holes in that tree. She felt one of them while laying her head on the trunk.</p><p>
  <em>Yeah, not very good.</em>
</p><p>What could she do with it, too? She never felt her chakra! She had no clue how to use it, and despite this body having had years of training, she was a newbie. A very desperate newbie with Uzumaki amounts of chakra. A dangerous combo. And she wanted to know how to use it; as if she would pass the chance to learn how to do jutsu! But, here lay the problem - she doesn't really know how...</p><p>The fiasco with the tree can serve as a testament to her abysmal understanding of chakra. And although she wasn't someone who gave up easily, remembering how people learned how to use chakra from an anime you last watched almost twenty years ago was hard. Scratching her head, the women searched her mind for traces of what she remembered of Naruto training. There was meditation, that's for sure, and also something with a seal that helped you focus your chakra...</p><p>Eureka!</p><p>Yes, yes, she remembered! That scene in which Naruto and Sasuke first learned how to walk on trees! Someone advised them to start with the seal or something... The image didn't exactly add up, but it was more than she expected. Now, only what seal that was? There were a few that had stuck in her memory: the one Naruto used for his clones, the one that was used at the end of The Great Fireball jutsu and... She brought one hand up to her chest and curled all fingers apart from the middle and the pointer. This is the one for concentration, no? Her brow furrowed. What now? Just close your eyes and you will feel it? Her eyes were closed! And still she saw nothing!</p><p>Ugh!</p><p>Wait. <em>Calm down. There's no use in frustration - concentrate.</em></p><p>She tried and tried and tried...</p><p>...</p><p>It was less than flattering, the fact that a few days later she still had nothing. No food, no shelter, no idea where she's going and no clue how to use chakra. The only things that kept multiplying were mosquito bites and bruises (and hunger, but she opted not to think about it). It's not as if she was tired either; this body could walk miles without braking a sweat. Just, her motivation was running out.</p><p>
  <em>Did I transmigrate to die from hunger almost immediately after? </em>
</p><p>What was the point if she couldn't do all those cool jutsu, too? Like, in a world full of Shinobi, alien princesses and talking plants, was she to become a farmer? Or a normal artist? That would be besides the purpose in transmigrating to a Universe with 'magic'! Okay, she won't lie to herself and say that in her old body she would have done the same, because she probably wouldn't have bothered - her attempts to get fit always ended in failure, since she preferred to be lazy. But now, in such a wonderful Uzumaki body? With immense potential when it comes not only to chakra but also to messing with the plot of Naruto?</p><p>No, she would be a fool to miss it!</p><p>New energy in place, she sped up. Her steps were lively, almost jumpy in a way that implied that she might break into a run. Air whipped at her as she sprinted forwards, laughter bubbling in her lungs. <em>Yes! This is the feeling of freedom! </em>Her legs worked like a freshly out of the factory car, pumping onto the ground enthusiastically. Keeping the stream in sight, she manoeuvred between trees and jumped above bushes, a roe-deer in full gallop. It was exhilarating. </p><p>This is what she was talking about! There was no lack of breath, no sting in her muscles! Or if there was, it was so minimal that she didn't notice. Compared to her original self, this was a goddess! A pang of appreciation for her teenage brain shot through her heart - for making the character of Lily the most sporty person she'd ever seen!</p><p>Curiosity drowning out any common sense, she decided to see how long she could keep on the pace. How long until she collapses breathless? In the past, she couldn't sprint more than a few metres without getting worked up; what about now? Also, if she wants to be a Shinobi, she must have good endurance, so. Checking in what state she is physically was justifiable. </p><p>After a while, there was almost a routine to her run; dodge a tree, a bush, leap above a fallen branch. See if the stream is in sight. Simple. <em>Though, going in a zig-zag like this is really troublesome. I understand why Ninja took to the trees...</em> Her gaze travelled up fleetingly, <em>If I could do that... </em></p><p>Her feet suddenly seized. Eyes widening, the women had no time but to think 'oh, no' before her muscles clenched and she was leaping up. In that exact moment her heart nearly stopped, mind curled around the idea that <em>she has no control over her legs, she will fall. </em>But than, everything sped up - she was already landing on a tree. Feeling the impact as if through cotton, she observed as her body took a second jump; smoothly, she transferred from a crouch into the air, and onto another branch. Her brain would spasm with confusion, but still, her limbs kept moving.</p><p>Not of her own will.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>This is the second time she was using chakra!</p><p>She had no control over it, whatsoever!</p><p>
  <em>Again.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Oh, for fuck's sake! Why is it happening to me?! I had tried to use it for three damn days and nothing, and now it somehow manifests! And I can't stop! Ugh! Why do I have no control of my body? Eh?! </em>
</p><p><em>Okay, let's think logically</em>, she reminded herself while in mid-air. With time passing and her body not stopping, she realised that it didn't matter if she paid attention or not; either way, the run wouldn't stop and she would not crash into a tree. It allowed her to calm down. She rationalized, <em>this has happened only when I tried to do anything chakra related or on instinct (was taking to the trees an instinct? For Ninja probably?). So, does it mean that something took control of her body when she used chakra? Was it Lily? But... That wouldn't make sense! Or maybe it's like muscle memory, but stronger... </em></p><p>
  <em>Hell if I know. </em>
</p><p>She figured, after that, that this... Loss of control, was dependant on chakra. It has not happened before - not when she was panicking, or sick, or starving. No, only when she used chakra. And although the first time was less severe, if she focused it felt similar. So, if she wanted to stop running, the easiest thing to do was to wait for chakra exhaustion. Because, with no chakra to use, she wouldn't be able to keep up this Ninja run and would be forced to stop. And if her theory was correct, that would give her back the control.</p><p>There was only one problem. She was an Uzumaki. They had immense chakra stores, and tree-jumping did not take that much chakra to begin with. Which meant that she could probably be at it for days and not die.</p><p>
  <em>Splendid.</em>
</p><p>...</p><p>She travelled day and night, never stopping. For the night, her mind drifted into sleep despite her body's unrelenting pace. It was weird, to wake up, still in a break-neck sprint but not feeling much worse for wear. Sure, her feet, calves and thighs stung dimly, but it was a pain easy to ignore. She has no idea how is it possible that she isn't dying form dehydration, exhaustion or starvation, but her attention for the longest time has not been on her run; no, it was inwards.</p><p>Not liking the situation one bit, she tried to feel her chakra to maybe get it under control. At the beginning, she was simply bored. There was nothing - she felt nothing out of ordinary, apart from the apparent muteness in her limbs. No insane coloured energy swirling inside. Nothing. Just like the days she spent after the tree incident, this didn't bring any effects.</p><p><em>It's pointless</em>, was her frustrated verdict. But if she gave up, what would she do? If this was the Naruto verse, her faith would be morose. She wanted to be a Ninja, wanted to try and see, and use the body she has been so graciously granted. If she couldn't use chakra, it all would be for nothing. In theory, she could be like Rock Lee, but he was a maniac and his training regimen would scare away even desperate transmigrators... So, no, thank you. She wanted her chakra.</p><p>...</p><p>Her consciousness was slipping, mind drifting away. Yet, she still tried to find her chakra. Like a drowning man reaching for a blade, her search was messy. And... For a second, it felt as if there was something between her fingers, like hair or sand.</p><p>She was unable to grasp it before going under.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She remembered. It was fleeting, so small, like a dust particle in the air. As if she dreamt it up, as if it wasn't real - but it was. The feeling was so strong, she was sure. A brush of her fingers being enough of a taste (blood, strawberry, bitter wine... Unexplainable and yet familiar to a T) for her to find it again. <em>Idiot, </em>she called herself in shame. <em>Looking for it so blindly!</em> And she truly felt as such, having had the taste and knowing just how much flailing she did before.</p><p>As if she was blind, deaf and all over senseless, searching for the wrong thing! <em>Chakra... </em>It was an integral part of her. Not something foreign that only appeared in this universe, but deeper, something to which gates until now were just closed. It was her, and therefore hard to get a feeling of.</p><p>Understanding that, was the key to controlling it. Like finding the reigns when you want to ride a horse. With a blindfold and no idea that you are already sitting on the horse... And thick gloves that are too warm to feel through. <em>Yeah, okay, it's fucking hard.</em> Now that she knew where the reigns were, even though she lost the grip, she would have easier time finding them. Though still, it took her another few hours after waking up to even brush against them. <em>Progress.</em> Trying it again and again, with each time she found it easier to find her chakra. From a brush it slowly turned into a hug, until she had a firm grasp on her power - or at least a part of it.</p><p>Earlier she described it as if it tasted, as if she could put it into her mouth and eat it - and it wasn't wrong, per se, but... It wasn't accurate either. That was just a way of simplifying the concept of chakra as a thing. Because, in truth, it wasn't even coloured; it <em>was</em> and it gave you an impression of what it felt, but it simply couldn't be categorized into normal terms. The user would interpret their own chakra in their own way, completely original to themselves... Or at least she thinks that's what Shinobi would do, no? It certainly felt like it to her.</p><p>And the thought of someone having the same chakra as her felt simply... Disgusting. For no apparent reason. Though, it was just a feeling and it drove to nothing, so she decided to accept it as a fact.</p><p>...</p><p>After she got a grip, it was easier to see how vast her reserves really were. Like, she knew that Uzumaki had impossible Chakra stores, but this was ridiculous! Another reason she couldn't find it before - it was an ocean. And, as we know, looking for a droplet in a sea is not a way to go.</p><p>A thought struck her then; she had been using up chakra for hours (if not days), and so her normal reserves are much bigger. They would have been a lot harder to grasp than this... Was she running only to waste chakra to allow herself to find it?! If yes, then... What is it that controls her body right now? Her subconsciousness? Lily? Some other entity? But why? Why would they want to help her? The first one is obvious, but in the same time... She doubted it was that. Lily would have no reason to want to aid her, too. She took Lily's body, might have made her a passenger in her own world... She guessed that wouldn't be pleasant.</p><p>The third option seemed even less likely than the first, since that would simply be inconsequential. Why would someone waste her chakra, for nothing, evidently going into the same direction she would have gone without help. So, if someone wanted to lure her somewhere, somehow taking control of her body and in the same time giving her and epiphany... Well, their purpose would be a complete mystery to her.</p><p>It was simply pointless.</p><p>
  <em>So, which of those is the most probable?</em>
</p><p>...</p><p>Since thinking about those seemed useless, she continued familiarizing with her chakra. The less she had of it, the easier it was to control, therefore allowing her to begin to take over. She sunk her teeth into the energy and pulled -</p><p>It rushed into her hands in a tide, burning. She quickly lessened her pull. It turned into a stream, slowly leaking into her fists, her fingers, giving her back the feeling in them. She cheered mentally, before she stopped. Sensations flooded her mind as she pummelled down. The searing pain in her throat, in her feet, <em>her whole body. </em>Aching, as if she was beaten to a pulp!</p><p>Her face hit the ground, her hands barely cushioning the fall. The rest of her body right after, crashing with the heaviness of stones. Her legs landed on the bark of the tree, skin ripped bloody. Breath haggard, she struggled to take in more oxygen; her lungs were on fire, dry, dry, <em>dry,</em> fire climbing up to her throat. Agony. Tears dripped from her closed eyes, waterfalls, her bones creaking as she slid completely into the cool earth. Calves as if seared in half, itched horribly with each move. </p><p>The hum of water metres away was her call, one and only, as she dragged herself towards it. Loving, like a mother's beckon to come closer... Her mind hazed over with only one desire; drink. Mouth like the desert, sand milling about in the horribly dry wind, she pushed harder, hands reaching out further. She ripped the grass from beneath with her bruising grip, not paying any heed to the fact it didn't help at all. Her goal was simple, and yet so far away!</p><p>Her legs a twitching dead weight, it took the women more time than ever to cross the distance. Once her face was above the water, she just fell limp - mindless joy flooding her as she took frantic gulps. She only emerged after her sight began blackening, the gasp of air a true treat. The water tasted so sweet, again, and though her stomach grumble for more, for her brain this was it. The nectar of gods, she fucking loves it!</p><p>Like an animal, there was no decorum for her nor limit. She drank and drank, until she could no more, completely exhausted. Her neck was also hurting, and it was a relief when she finally dragged herself up from the stream.</p><p>Sleep claimed her hastily.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After that little marathon, her feet were a <em>huge</em> mess. A mass of splinters, bruises, blisters and blood; it pained her to even look at them. She sure as hell wasn't going to be getting up any time soon. She cleaned them up, of course, but with no bandages or anything at all she was anxious - what if an infection sets in? She knew there were some plants that acted against infection, but she had no idea how they looked or how to find them; and again, she would probably need to get up, which wasn't an option. </p><p>For now, she opted to lying down and doing nothing but drinking from the river and crawling away to relive herself (and tell you what, it was not easy). Of course, she still practised with her chakra, it being the one joy that still shone bright. Hours passed with her dozing off ever so often, between attempts at remembering jutsu and countless trips to and from the creek. Eventually, she simply settled close enough to it to just need to roll to the side to get a drink. After all, her body was aching like a bitch - besides, she was an inherently lazy person, was there anything wrong in indulging her nature once in a while? Especially after she spend a few days running, <em>not of her own will, </em>without food or water (she still doesn't know how she survived, she should have died from dehydration). </p><p>Little did she know that her time of leisure was counted.</p><p>...</p><p>The next time she woke up, she was in bounds.</p><p>Knowing the feeling of bondage plenty well, she quickly deduced her state; and however she came to be in it. Okay, it was more of an educated guess on the letter, but still. Her hands were tied behind her back with rough rope, biting into her skin. The same rope that wound around her ankles. She was also covered by some kind of a blanket, which was a pleasant surprise compared to all the rest.</p><p>So, she was being kidnapped. <em>First time, eh? </em>She joked inside her head. <em>But by who? And why? Though, that's a stupid question; there's many people who would like to have an Uzumaki. If they suspect who I am... On the other hand, if this isn't Naruto verse there could be other reasons, like me encroaching on someone's territory. Or me just so being a hot naked lady in the forest...</em> Her stomach flipped at the last one (or maybe from hunger?), because although she identified as a masochist she still had standards, <em>thank you very much. </em>Heart fluttering, she imagined being fucked like that, like a cheap whore, tied up and defenceless...<em> Ah, shit, you're so fucking disgusting! No, this is not the time to be horny! </em>A voice screeched mentally at the weight gathering in her abdomen. <em>Just stop, this is not the -</em></p><p>"Oh, so our princess has awoken? Good, good," she heard from above. Straight away she recognized them as a male, either sick or smoking from the characteristic rasp of their throat. "Don't pretend otherwise, I can hear your breathing."</p><p>"Hi," was her reply, and <em>oh god, she sounded worse than him! And did she just 'hi' her kidnapper? Where the fuck is her coolness? </em>"Do y-you hav' some wa'er?"</p><p>"..." a pregnant pause followed her question, until - "Bwhahahaha! No need to be so nice, princess, and 'course we have some water! What's up with your voice anyway, did you feast on dirt?!" More laughter followed, though now mixed with some shuffling. Then, something cold pressed to her mouth. "There, drink."</p><p>She did. With the careful help of her captor, she took a few big gulps, not caring if it was safe or not. Though it did taste like water, so.</p><p>"Thanks," she said, opening her eyes blearily. It was dark, even with the bonfire lit nearby. It was rather tame, more embers than actual flames, but it was there. Warm against her legs, which were laid out next to it. "So, who're you?"</p><p>"Me?" the men returned her question pointing at himself. After she nodded, he said "I'm Itsuki! But isn't it impolite to ask one's name and not give one yourself? Eh, and I though you were a nice girl..." he trailed off with a pout. She eyed him - he was tall, bulky but rather lean than truly muscly. His uniform was probably doing most of the job of making him look muscular; she'd bet he had the figure of an athlete though. His chin was overgrown with a few days worth of stubble, which he was clearly uncomfortable with given how he scratched at it more than twice from the moment she opened her eyes. His skin was tan, almost carmel, though it was hard to say if it was natural or from the sun. What was important though, was his so very characteristic outfit. Or, more specifically, his headband.</p><p>The metal of the plate on his forehead glinted sharply in the dim lighting.</p><p>
  <em>Yep, it's confirmed. I'm in the Naruto verse.</em>
</p><p>Stopping herself from sighing, she told him:</p><p>"Oh, sorry, my bad! I'm Matsu Suisen, nice to meet you!" </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Under her beaming smile hid a grimace. <em>What the fuck is that name?! Sure, I get it, it's Naruto where names like Kakashi and Sakura are nothing to blink at, but damn! Matsu fucking Suisen? Did I just lost my mind?</em></p><p>"Oh, really?" Itsuki's eyebrows rose in mock disbelief. "And I thought you were an Uzumaki! Well, now I only think you're an idiot!" He laughed then, again, with all the joy of catching someone red-handed. Her face flushed, smile turning sheepish.</p><p>"It was worth the try," she shrugged, seeming helpless.</p><p>"Was the other a lie too? <em>Suisen</em>?" his wry expression hit her full blast. She chuckled.</p><p>"M' cousin was called Matsu and my sister Sakura, wha' do ya think? If I wanted to lie to you I'd hav' chosen a more believable name," she assured him with all the flippancy of someone who had lived all their life with a ridiculous name on their shoulders. "Besides, I still haven't heard <em>your</em> surname, Itsuki-san."</p><p>"Oh? Well, I don't feel obliged to tell you after you lied to me," she pouted at his words. "It's only fair that you guess - I have guessed yours!"</p><p>"Come on!" she beckoned louder, her voice creaking at the end. Rolling her eyes, she complained. "And what a hard job you had, truly! Anyone educated enough would know who I am. But you..." her gaze roamed over him in an exaggerated manner. "You look too ordinary!"</p><p>"Hah! Every Shinobi should strive to look like that!" he crossed his arms over his chest, nose scrunching. "You Uzumaki should get it, with your red hair and all that!"</p><p>"Well, there's a reason why most Uzumaki don't care for secrecy, ya know?" she reminded him, allowing pride to enter her voice.</p><p>"Oh, and it didn't do them any good, did it?" he jeered, eyes narrowing. "Nor will it help you, princess. What's up with you naked in the forest, anyway? Not that I'm complaining, but it's quite peculiar." His lips quirk more genuinely.</p><p>"Yeah, I'm sure you're quite happy!" she angled her torso away from him, glaring.</p><p>"No, no, no! I did <em>not </em>mean it like that!" he waved his hands at her, panic evident in his red face. "I meant to say, that it's convenient, for, you know..." he indicated her bounds. She gasped.</p><p>"You pervert!"</p><p>"N-no, no, stop that!" Itsuki's pleadings turned more frantic. "I only meant holding you captive! As in, we didn't need to check you for any weapons, and, a-and it allowed us to capture you, that's all I had in mind!"</p><p>"Hmm..." her expression contemplative, the newly named 'Suisen' barely stopped the laughter that wanted to escape her. "Okay, let's say I believe you. So, what does Itsuki-san want from me, then?"</p><p>After breathing out a relieved sigh, the Nin sat back down. "I don't really want anything from you personally... It's just orders." he shrugged. "The Uzumaki are valuable, every village wants them - our is no exception. Everybody knows that the survivors from Uzu go straight to Konoha, so the chance of recruiting one is little and precious. In other words, if we meet a suspected Uzumaki, we are to capture them, not ask if they want to come with us."</p><p>"And you think that tying me up is the best way to convince me to join your village?"</p><p>"No, that's not what <em>I </em>think, that's just orders," he looked tired saying this. "Listen, if the Kage didn't say this, I would have left you on your own, I don't care! And yeah, I do agree that our... 'Recruitment method' could improve, but if I had it my way you would have been free to go."</p><p>"Are you trying to convince me now to not hate the messenger?" she rose an eyebrow at him.</p><p>"..." Itsuki seemed buffed for a moment, before confirming. "Pretty much."</p><p>"Eh..." she blinked at him. "Why do you keep saying 'we'? Is there more of you?"</p><p>The man smiled, his rueful mood coming back easily. "You'll see."</p><p>...</p><p>After that, apart from some occasional small talk, they did not converse much. Which was a blessing, because now she could seriously think! And wasn't that funny? That she didn't even have to contemplate it, before switching to her exaggerated bubbly persona? About spouting bullshit without batting an eyelash? Suisen really hoped he believed her - there were people in the Naruto verse who could tell that you were lying even if you were the best lair in the world. She really hoped that Itsuki wasn't one of them. Because practically all she said was an act.</p><p>She deflected direct answers if she could, and tried to point his attention elsewhere. Even if he caught her lying in some minor cases it didn't matter, since for most of the important stuff she just indicated the answer she wanted him to believe in; like her being from a big Uzumaki family, or her caring if he wanted to be sexual with her or not. Or her caring about his name. She also implied that if he approached her casually she still might have came with him.</p><p>Which... <em>Don't make me</em> <em>laugh! </em></p><p>The only straight-on lies she told him were about her name and family tree, which were necessary. She would have lied about them even to an ally; she had an European name and her family was pitiful at best; this wouldn't work here. She could tell him her name was Yuri, and technically that would be true, but... For some reason she didn't like it. So, yeah... From now on she will just probably use Suisen (it wasn't that bad, at least she didn't introduce herself with something worse).</p><p>Anyway, she still had to get over the shock that she could understand him perfectly. Her native language was not Japanese, and even though she was a polyglot, Japanese never went that high up on her list of languages to learn. She could speak Korean.</p><p>But not Japanese.</p><p>Now though, when the men spoke, every word felt like her own; she didn't translate it in her head, she just knew what it meant. Ba! She even knew how to write it! Which... <em>What the fuck. </em>She brushed upon the multiple writing systems of both Japan and China but it had never stuck. The multitude of characters, layered meanings and different ways of using them. Suisen lacked motivation of that quality, to throw herself at the behemoths of linguistics. She liked learning new languages, liked to know what was being said, but those were mainly European ones. With the exception of aforementioned Korean, she had little to do with Asian languages. </p><p>To be able to just speak Japanese (no accent, no need to think about the words too much, no drag) was an experience. She could translate it to other ones, too.</p><p>It was amazing!</p><p>She stopped fangirling only when another person appeared in the clearing.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Itsuki's team had three more members. A girl and two boys.</p>
<p>The girl was the first one of the three to emerge form the woods, in her hand five fishes punctured on a stick. Her scowl was visible from afar, the dim lighting adding to it's ferocity. At first, Suisen thought the girl was an adult; she was tall, muscular and had a confident stride, like a cat. But then, the women noted her lack of a vest and the semi-bright childish colours of her uniform, and thought, <em>no way is she older than twenty!</em> She also didn't seem to have a rank higher than a Genin, though Suisen could be mistaken: not all Chunin and Jounin wore their vests.</p>
<p>Though, the biggest clue was when she called out to Itsuki -</p>
<p>"Sensei! Why didn't you prepare the grille?! Now <em>I</em> need to set it up!" she demanded angrily.</p>
<p>"Ah, sorry, sorry! I forgot! See, I was just speaking with this lovely lady and kinda lost track of time...?" his eyes strayed to the bound figure briefly, but he continued. "And anyways, you need to learn how to set them up yourself! What sensei would I be if I did everything for you?"</p>
<p>The men positively <em>squeaked </em>when the girl kicked him on the calf. He stared at her in mock horror.</p>
<p>"Aichi! How can you! H-hey, hey listen to me!" he called as she turned around to set up a place to cook the fish. The girl didn't glance at him once, while she spoke.</p>
<p>"Sensei, you're a lazy old coot, I've no reason to be hearing your pathetic pleas!" her bark seemed to cut into Itsuki, who sunk down and whimpered. "I'm surprised they even allowed you to have a team!"</p>
<p>"Oi! The Kage begged me to be a Jounin Sensei! It's you ungrateful brats, who'd do better in the Academy!" he countered, fist raised in weak offence.</p>
<p>Their banter continued, completely undisturbed by the arrival of the next member of the Genin team. Suisen watched as the boy, visibly before his growth sprout, wondered towards them. He had a stack of semi-dry branches in his arms, and his hitai-ate proudly on display on his forehead, unlike the girl who wore hers on her thigh. His expression was blank all the way through, similar to his boring-ass clothing and standard looking equipment. Only his hair displayed any kind of personality - it was long and plaited into a fish-tail braid.</p>
<p>He said nothing as he set the wood aside and sat near the fire. He didn't look at Suisen, though she had the impression that he was curious about her.</p>
<p>The fourth and last member of their team sauntered in with a basket full of herbs. His chocolate hair hung around his face in greasy waves, easily reaching to his collarbones. Eyes set firmly, although surrounded by eyebags, conveyed total authority. Or arrogance - she wasn't sure. He reminded her of a panda bear, with his almost monochromatic outfit and full frame. Because his limbs didn't begin elongating yet, he looked a bit like just a really small men. </p>
<p>The boy plopped down under a tree opposite to her, where she guessed lay his backpack; he opened the bag carelessly and took out a... Mortar? It was small, but held undeniable weight, and she wondered why no-one said anything when the Team was leaving the village. Her answer came almost immediately; the boy began mixing and crushing the herbs rigorously, like a professional. She watched as he mixed and mixed, until she was sure only paste was left of the plants, and the smell of burning fish invaded her nostrils. Then, he added a bit of water from his canteen to the paste and stood up.</p>
<p>And walked up to her.</p>
<p>Not looking into her eyes, he crouched by her feet and uncovered them. She then saw that they were bound with gauze, and her eyebrows almost rose. She stopped herself from gaping as he quickly took off the bandages and began smearing her feet with the mixture he made.</p>
<p>"Ay, Gashin, what are you doing?!" Itsuki shouted, suddenly alarmed. The boy - Gashin - slowly looked up to his sensei, rather unimpressed.</p>
<p>"What does it look like?" he drawled.</p>
<p>"Like you carelessly come up to our captive! What if she attacked you?!" the men flailed, frustrated.</p>
<p>"I wouldn't," Suisen assured them. He sent her a stink-eye before facing his student again.</p>
<p>"Don't listen to her. Besides, even if she may be docile, what if it were someone dangerous?!" at the words, she secretly sneered. Her only outward reaction was a tilt of the head.</p>
<p>"She's bound," the teen said, in the most monotone voice possible.</p>
<p>"And you're a Genin!" Itsuki argued, though she knew he was losing. He knew it too, deflating after a few seconds of tensed silence. "Okay, yeah, I understand your point. Whatever. Just remember to next time ask me for permission."</p>
<p>"..." Gashin stayed silent, finishing tending to her feet. The paste was cool and slimy, making her shudder.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Suisen woke at the break of dawn. Sun rising lazily, rays streaming past leaves in arrays of light. The dew settled over their little clearing, mist receded to the depths of earth. She breathed in the cold morning air, clean and sharp, stinging her throat. Bringing her to life. Though, she still preferred coffee.</p><p>
  <em>What if there's no coffee here!?</em>
</p><p>Cold flooded her numbed limbs. <em>That would be disastrous! </em>Struck by that morbid thought, her heart almost palpitated out of her chest. Like a snake, dread curled around her spine. <em>Thirty years of drinking that heavenly beverage... Is it bound to end now?</em> She can't live without coffee! As in, a few days of abstinence is alright, she'll deal, but a <em>whole life </em>without a single drop?! <em>Noooooo!</em></p><p>"Thinking of running, princess?" Itsuki cut in, before she could begin her mental tirade on the pointlessness of living without caffeine.</p><p>Her eyes shot open. "Do you have coffee in your village?" she said piercing him with a maniac stare.</p><p>"What?" he blinked at her in confusion. Then, very slowly, explained. "I don't think you need more coffee in your state, hon'. With your blood pressure so high, you're going to have a heart attack."</p><p>"But do you have it?"</p><p>"Yeah, why wouldn't we? We're not some uncivilised brutes," his tone was dry, yet that was all the answer she needed. She threw her head back and breathed a sigh of relief. He watched her calm down, asking after a moment. "That's all you're worried about? Coffee? Not that we'll lock ya in a dark cell somewhere and torture to death?"</p><p>"That wouldn't gain you anything, would it? And I thought you wanted my genuine participation, not forced by torture." she remarked, looking back down at him. Their eyes connected. The birds chirped all around them, with faint snoring coming from one of the sleeping bags. His amused snort broke their staring contest, and her lips stretched into a smile.</p><p>"I'd say you're right, but ya know how it is," Itsuki said, mirth colouring his speech. "I'm just a single soldier, who am I to say what may happen to you?"</p><p>"Ah! What a cruel man! And I though you were going to protect this weakling princess..." she made big doe eyes and let her lip tremble.</p><p>"You better find yourself some samurai next time, princess. We Shinobi are serious business, no joke!" he intoned, laughter bubbling in his chest. Though they both tried to withhold it, soon the clearing was flooded by cackling. "A-and I thought, princesses were m-meant to be all poise and no humour..."</p><p>"Who said I'm a princess? Besides, even if I was, you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover."</p><p>"True, true," he agreed, wiping the happy tears from his eyes.</p><p>
  <em>Oh, you will see the truth of it soon.</em>
</p><p>...</p><p>Suisen would have killed them. <em>Would have </em>being the key. Because after thinking it through, the desire didn't seem all that logical. And not all that possible. First of all, if by some miracle, she was able to beat them clean, and then killed them, their village would worry. And seek revenge. Which would undoubtedly be problematic - not only for her, but for everyone, possibly. What if their village thought another village was responsible for the disappearance of their team? That could mean war! Possibly. By the leisure of Itsuki's students, and the men himself, she concluded they were not currently at war. Which did not mean that it wouldn't be very easy to start one.</p><p>That wouldn't be in her favour, she didn't intend to mess with the Naruto plot <em>that </em>much.</p><p>Second, if the village did track the murder back to her, it was viable to say she would've had a whole bunch of Ninja at her throat. Which would not make messing with Naruto plot any easier. Plus she wasn't all that assured she could run away from them, too.</p><p>Third, was the killing itself. Like she mentioned before, she wasn't that confident in her skill of going against four Shinobi, no matter if they were Genin or not. Her combat training ended on the knowledge that she could punch. Also, she still had no memories of any jutsu she could use, even if she could already control her chakra somewhat.</p><p>Fourth, the three kids with them were... well, kids. Even though they were tiny killer machines, they were young, and Suisen wasn't heartless enough to not consider that. Of course, if all her previous points were not in the game, she would have killed them, but she did have the awareness that they were 'too young to die', or something. They had all their lives before them, blocking them from that seemed... Sad, in a way. That was one of the reasons why she didn't kill children in her original world; along with the fact that if she did kill a kid there would be a huge outrage held up and the probability of her being discovered would be higher. And that those who murdered children were always looked at with less consideration that those that didn't, so.</p><p>But, yeah. She did have <em>some </em>morals.</p><p><em>This got a lot more complicated than I panned it to be, </em>she mused. Because how could she escape and gather information without leaving them to their deaths?</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They moved out quite late. The kids were sleepy, the quiet boy whose name she still didn't know particularly so, as his eyes seemed barely open. After the fiasco with the fish last night, they did not include her in breakfast preparations. Itsuki just threw her a pitying look when the angelic smell of fried pheasant filled the air around them. Her nose kept twitching and she almost salivated when she saw them eating the bird. It looked so tasty...</p><p>But, anyway, when they finally packed up, Itsuki threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and that was it. She turned any complaining to the minimum, seeing as it could be worse - she was happy that none of the kids were carrying her, it made escaping easier.</p><p>Because yeah, she had a plan. It was fucking risky, but she was ready!</p><p>...</p><p>Lily was a seal master. Amidst the Uzumaki everyone was. It was like a rat race, each of the red-heads more competitive than the other. To a point it was tradition; after that it was pure desire to be the best. No matter the cost. Lily was different - she would've been satisfied being mediocre, not trying and not working herself to death only to be pushed down each time. </p><p>But, there was a reason people called the Uzumaki fucking maniacs.</p><p>They did not allow for weakness between their own - if someone slacked off, they were punished, pushed forewords even against their will. Lily slacked off. She showed potential but no desire to use it.</p><p>The elders were not pleased. She, being the member of the main family, brought disgrace with her behaviour. So, she was punished. Tied up and whipped, left to contemplate for hours on end. Roped up to training until she collapsed. Rinse and repeat. Until she could no more. She crafted a seal, carved it onto her own skin and told no-one. If out of spite or anger, or fear, she behaved like she did always; the elder council followed their old paths, too. But, in her next punishment, she used the seal, freed herself.</p><p>What was the seal, you ask?</p><p>The lines on her wrists, the only marks of when she peeled her skin off and on it engraved her creation: a seal meant to, upon activation, teleport anything that touched her arms to a pocket dimension. Afterwords, if she made contact with someone and again activated the seal, it would teleport what was on her onto them. Onto the exact same place - her cuffs were their cuffs. It was a genius thing, able to bypass chakra-dampening seals, very accurate and with multiple uses.</p><p>Now though, Suisen intended for it to serve its original purpose.</p><p>...</p><p>The company was walking in quick pace, the kids steadily growing more tired. <em>It's time, </em>she thought, channelling chakra to her hands.</p><p>The pulse of energy was small, almost unnoticeable - still, she felt Itsuki freezing under her. In the same moment, the rope around her hands together with the blanket bounding her dissipated and her body began moving on its own. </p><p>Suisen deadpanned.</p><p>
  <em>Here we go again.</em>
</p><p>Let's just hope that whatever is taking on her body will do a good job of it - she has no intention of staying captive. Her limbs felt muted, not exactly numb but close to it; though she could feel how they stiffened, how one of them hit the back of Itsuki's neck while the other wondered to his kunai pouch. All in less than a second. The world slowed down, the men under her falling with his last long step, the leaves and the wind as if stopped by an invisible force. Suisen moved. Muscles screeched at her with horror as she jumped away from the jounin under her, jounin whose hands were being encircled by the same rope that bound her just a blink before.</p><p>The spell took over and now, although she roughly knew what her limbs were doing, she barely felt them. She knew that the stolen kunai chopped the line around her ankles, that she landed on a branch behind the company, that the paste on her feet crunched, already dry under the bandages. Yet it all felt second-hand.</p><p>Lungs taking in air measurably, hand righting it's grip on the kunai; her legs tensing, stretching. She leaped anew. The body of the sensei hit the ground and her chakra lurched when one of her hands made a hand-sign. Illusionary blood blew up form Itsuki's neck, splattering the three genin unequally. Before their eyes had time to widen, she bounced onto the child closest to her (Aichi). Heavy, Suisen's free hand slapped her head in an arching blow - the girl was hurled at the tree on their right, mouth spitting crimson. </p><p>Suisen landed in the girl's spot like a feather, no sound, no dust raising. Her heels did not touch the ground. She sped through the air again, like a monkey in a dense canopy - her lungs just drawing in oxygen.</p><p>...</p><p>The other two did not last long.</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She rummaged through their equipment with no guilt, taking for herself whatever seemed useful. From Gashin, she took all food (ration bars, dried meat, soldier pills) as he seemed to be the person carrying the majority of their supplies. The boy himself had an assortment of senbon hidden on his body, in his hair and in his clothes (she wondered how he wasn't looking like a pin-cushion, and how none of the long needles pierced him through, but... ) so as a precaution she took all she could find. Although Suisen had no clue how to use them, the thing controlling her body evidently had, as it handled the weapons masterfully.</p><p>Gashin's backpack was emptied and all things within noted; the spare clothing, the soap, toothpaste and toothbrush, the mortar, the two books about herbs you can find in the wild, his own notebook filled with writing (a dairy? She flicked through it with little interest, finding more personal info than anything actually useful), his gigantic canteen, a length of ninja wire and a first aid kit. After taking out the stone bowl and the tomes it turned out that his bag was quite spacey, so she decided to make use of it.</p><p>Unfortunately, his clothes were much too small for her.</p><p>She packed all the things she wanted orderly and moved on onto the next person. The silent one. He had a little of everything; equal amounts of kunai and shuriken, a bunch of senbon, a file of explosion tags, four metres of ninja wire, a tanto... <em>The more the better!</em> she thought, taking everything. This kid's bag was significantly smaller than his friend's, though he still managed to fit all the hygiene necessities and four romance novellas. Though they were rather thin, she chuckled while reading the backs of the covers. <em>Who would  have thought?</em></p><p>The boy's clothing wasn't much better than Gashin's, although he had one big hoodie that fit her.</p><p>She moved to Aichi with excitement. The girl obviously wore a bra, and Suisen needed one ASAP. With her proportional Uzumaki body she guessed that whatever Aichi had would at least be semi-fitting. Their frames did not seem <em>that </em>different. And yes, her clothes were alright - the cargo pants, the spare panties, the blouse and the fishnet shirts all fit (though the pants were a little too short, she just bound them with bandages as seemed fashionable with all the kids). Not the bra.</p><p>It was a push-up. The three spare ones and the one Aichi had on herself at the moment. <em>All push-up's!</em></p><p>Suisen whined seeing this. She needed a bra! And those things were too small! <em>Ugh!</em></p><p>At least the girl had all the menstruation gadgets. Pads, tampons, even cups! Suisen took half (there was a lot. Suisen wondered if this was a long term mission or if the girl was just being carefull). Though, while looking through the last of her things, right at the bottom of her bag, she found something widely interesting - it was a medium sized decorative pouch with two tablets of pills within. Between them was a note with instructions of use -</p><p>{one on each day of your period and all days you want to delay it for, no more. Stop taking them after you have time to take care of your period, it's unhealthy to take them for more than thirty days in a row. You might experience slight nuesa at the beginning, but it should pass quickly.</p><p>with care, your friend Ro.}</p><p>- humming, Suisen packed them too. Might be useful. The backpack she took form Gashin was almost full when she finished with Aichi, and she had still Itsuki to go! She had bound the men to a tree and unclothed him before she took care of his students, but his bag was still untouched.</p><p>She hoped his shoes fit her, as all his genin seemed to have tiny feet.</p><p>
  <em>Why are they so fucking in-proportional?!</em>
</p><p>As it turned out, his shoes were too big. <em>Well, better those than none, </em>she thought while stuffing the toes with ripped cloth from his uniform. God bless that he chose those above ninja sandals! They were black and with reinforced toes; smelly too, but she preferred this than walking barefoot. His clothes hung from her, witch was a new thing for the women, but they fit - she took them. His flack-jacket was tempting, but it had his village insignia at the back and she did not want to be associated with his home, not really - if she ripped it off, it would be obvious she wanted to conceal her identity, plus it was a specific colour which she was sure that anybody more educated than her would know the origin of.</p><p>She left the protective vest under a tree.</p><p>Itsuki's backpack turned out to be a real treasure chest. He had food, scrolls filled to the brim with weapons, even blank sealing paper, ink and brushes! She nearly salivated at their sight. Or the thing that half-controlled her body did.</p><p>It was debatable.</p><p>He had another first aid kit (this one full) and a collapsible tent.</p><p>Like each of his students, he also had a sleeping bag; though his was visibly of superior quality. She strung it at the back of her bag instead of Gashin's original one. She also took all of his money, this time though not giving back any she took from the genin (all together it was approximately 80,000 ryo. Now, the only question was if the sum a lot or not) - they must have had some savings at home, or at least someone to pay for them. The jounin could obviously just take more missions, she did not care.</p><p>Mourning the lack of plastic cards in this world, she finished packing her new belongings. It was a tiring task despite its simplicity, because as it turned out, she stole much more than she intended. It was rare for her to steal, she wondered if she had done much of it at all... Compared to all her murders, stealing was not her forte, nor her most grievous misgiving. And her memory was picky. Suisen shrugged, straining to push the bag closed.</p><p>Finally succeeding, she sighed. Her gaze wondered to the roll of bandages she left unpacked - they will make do for a bra, right? The Uzumaki recalled all those TV shows and anime where the ladies wore ripped cloth instead of normal breast support. Some of those ladies were quite 'blessed' too... Trying to bandage her breasts, Suisen clicked her tongue. <em>How am I supposed to do this, huh?! </em>Growling in frustration, she changed her tactic and leaned back - she heard somewhere that they should be squashed to the sides... -</p><p>"Huh?"</p><p>She blinked. Itsuki blinked back.</p>
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<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Dress up, for god's sake!" he shouted, face flushing. His eyes were narrowed, yet he did not look away.</p><p>Was he hoping to make her uncomfortable?</p><p>"What? Are you scared of a little... Flesh?" she wiggled her eye-brows at him, expression lecherous. Her hands fell away from her front, showcasing all her upper-body beauty. He blanched.</p><p>"Y-you!"</p><p>"Me?" Suisen batted her eyelashes innocently, fingers trailing her thighs. She crawled up to him, slow, watching for any reaction. With his body naked, she would have saw any... <em>Signs. </em>Apart form the reddening of his cheeks, there were none. "Huh."</p><p>"W-woman! You!" he made a noise of a dying cat, lips twitching. His arms also twitched, obviously checking for room. Good thing that she had the foresight to bind not only his arms but legs too. And to put a chakra-dampening seal on him.</p><p>"Oh, you don't like me?" she pouted, face a few inches away from him. He turned his own away, luring her in...</p><p>Until his head lashed out, forehead bumping on hers with force.</p><p>"Au!" Suisen yelped, thrown away. Itsuki smiled. Killer intent flooded the surrounding. Massaging her brow, the woman pierced him with a stare. More killer intent. The men winced. "So that's how were playing? Well, I did start this... Though you did get free fan-service, Itsuki-san."</p><p>"I'm gay." he announced, blush receding. </p><p>She laughed.</p><p>"If that's it, then congrats on your flirting skills, I really thought you wanted to bang me for a while!"</p><p>"That's solely your problem, not mine. Now, what do you want?" the last line was barked, seemingly dismissing. By the way his eyes sparked and his body hunched, tense, she guessed he was everything opposite to uninterested. Her laugh reformed into chuckles, which dissolved together with the wind. Silence fell upon them as they eyed each other, predator to predator. Sitting on her knees, she tilted her head. He never stopped smiling.</p><p>"What village are you from?"</p><p>"You don't know?" not receiving an answer he rose a brow. "Really? Okay... Well, were from Kusagakure. Is that all?"</p><p>"What was your mission?"</p><p>"..." he stayed silent for a moment, then, reluctantly said. "We were on an escort mission. The client was escorted back to his home-town and the mission finished. We were just going back to the village."</p><p>Not feeling nor seeing any signs of deception, she nodded. The information was really of low importance, she understood why he decided to tell her. She asked: "What would they have done with me if you got me back to your home?"</p><p>"That would depend."</p><p>"On what? Please don't spare any detail."</p><p>"Well... If you were willing to work with us, your knowledge and skills would have been implemented inside the village..." he weighted his next words visibly. When his mouth opened she almost expected a lie. "If you were to be <em>uncooperative</em> we would have used your natural healing quantities and probably try to bargain for clan secrets."</p><p>"Have you ever caught an Uzumaki before?"</p><p>"No." was his curt answer. Too quick.</p><p>"I should have worded the question differently," she drawled. Itskuki swallowed. "Has your village ever acquired an Uzumaki before?"</p><p>"...Yeah," he sighed out. "She was willing to work with us for protection."</p><p>"Hmm..." that wasn't a lie, she knew. In truth she did not care for the other Uzumaki, she just wanted to know his stance on her and his affiliation. From the first day she wondered which village he was from, not recognizing the symbol on his forehead protector. Now it still rang little to no bells in her mind, even with the name. <em>Kusagakure</em>... She opted to leave it for later, re-focusing on Itsuki. "What rank are you?"</p><p>"Jounin."</p><p>"Your students?"</p><p>"Genin."</p><p>"Are any of your heads worth anything?" she said and his eyes widened. He settled himself a second later, but she delighted at his little slip.</p><p>"They just became Genin, they have no bounty," Itsuki said, voice steel. "I'm in the bingo book of only one country."</p><p>"Oh? Which one?"</p><p>"Kumo," he forced out.</p><p>"Well then, you're lucky I'm not going there."</p><p> </p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 18</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She left Itsuki as he was; tied to tree and naked, silently suffering. His students were just unconscious on the other hand, they would wake up soon enough. Though, all their things and clothes that she did not take, were sprayed around them in a mess. They would not move out very quickly.</p><p>The thing controlling her body erases any trails behind her - that was after it crafted a seal, that Suisen somehow recognized as smell concealing - and runs guided by a compass and a map, towards the Village of the Hidden Leaf. They are just beyond the borders of the Fire Country, by Itsuki's words, so she isn't worried about a long journey. Well, right now the only thing she's somewhat worried about is the weird balance she had achieved with her... Room-mate, so to speak. When it had taken her over, after she activated her wrist-seals, it did exactly what she intended to do (with much more skill than she would ever have, but that was left unsaid) and when the battle ended, it allowed her a room for choice; what she wants to take form the Team, where to put them, how to speak to Itsuki.</p><p>And Suisen was conscious of the fact that it <em>allowed her. </em>That if the thing didn't want balance, it could readily take over. A shiver went down her spine, crawling, like a cool hand of a corpse pressing against her skin. <em>Dread.</em></p><p>The only warning was her face slackening, before the thing took over her throat, her mouth, and spoke:</p><p>"I'm happy you did not want to kill them," it said, in Japanese, voice sweet to a fault. "Though you could offer me some privacy. I do respect my body, unlike some people."</p><p>
  <em>Lily.</em>
</p><p>"Yes! Now, stop calling me 'it', I'm not a thing!" she reminded Suisen cheerfully. "I would have asked what <em>you</em> are, but I think I know. Right, Creator?"</p><p>Stunned silence stretched after her last words reverberated.</p><p>
  <em>How do you know?</em>
</p><p>"Oh, I have been wondering the plains of our head for quite a time, I have a good grasp of your origin," Lily spoke, matter-of-factly. "It's quite the cold place up there, I wonder how a person like yourself could have crafted a character like me... Or maybe it wasn't always like that?"</p><p>
  <em>You're off topic.</em>
</p><p>"Ah, yes! Sorry, sorry, I've just been wondering!" the girl said, tone switching to apologetic mechanically. "But... You do expect a real answer, yes? Well, my theory is that our minds mended somewhat, and now, even though we're two separate people, our mind-scape and body is the same. Or it's your mind-scape and my body, though with the owners switched," she tilted her head. "... Am I making sense to you?"</p><p><em>Yes,</em> although just the idea of someone walking her mind, having access to all her secrets, scared her witless, she prevailed in her calm approach. What<em> do you want?</em></p><p>"Ah! So callous!" Lily moaned, rolling their eyes. "If you're not aware, I want us to cooperate. Was it not obvious enough?"</p><p>
  <em>I wasn't sure.</em>
</p><p>"I'm not sure either," the female admitted, as if regretfully. "If letting a psycho like you share my body is a good decision, but I have no choice."</p><p><em>How so? </em>Suisen was not offended by Lily calling her that. She was aware that her mental state was far from someone normal.</p><p>"...As you have probably saw, me being in control depends on you using chakra. Or, our body using chakra instinctively. The result's the same," the character explained. Her run through the trees never wavered throughout their conversation, the map long folded and in her pocket. "The point is, that it's you who mainly controls when we use chakra, and that would give me little room to wiggle. At the beginning you were shit at using it, anyway, and I didn't want to wonder your mind for eternity. And if I just took control whenever you used chakra, without you knowing who I am or that I am willing to share, you would have tried to fight me. That would be of little benefit to either of us.</p><p>"With you knowing that I am who I am, and that we're in this together, we can strike a deal... Or something. As in, you won't keep me from taking control, and I will serve your goals with skill and experience."</p><p>
  <em>Oh? You're confident I won't just learn what I want and then find a way to block you?</em>
</p><p>"Ha! As if you could. I'm not speaking of only my skills as a Shinobi, I'm thinking of my skills as an Uzumaki. You can copy my jutsu and train your reflexes however you want, but you will never have my seals. Despite us sharing a mind-scape, you can't enter it without me calling on you or giving you bits and pieces to explore."</p><p>
  <em>Japanese. You gave me the knowledge of it.</em>
</p><p>"Yes! I could possibly give you more, if we make a deal, too."</p><p>
  <em>Like what? From what I understand, you won't give me the knowledge of seal crafting.</em>
</p><p>"No, I will not. But I can share things like martial arts, jutsu, weapon usage," Lily's voice was positively tempting, like the proverbial devil on your shoulder. Suisen would have gulped if she had control of her throat. "Because frankly, right now, you're pathetic. Without me running for three fucking days straight, you would have never grasped our chakra."</p><p>
  <em>Why did you not share your knowledge of using it with me?</em>
</p><p>"That would not have worked. For you our chakra feels different. I don't know how, but you process it separately from me. If I gave you my experience of chakra control you might have understood, yet... It would've not been the same. I was afraid that with the impression of my vision of our chakra you would not have thought to look for yours."</p><p>
  <em>Interesting. If I agree for this... Deal, will you stay in control until we have no more chakra?</em>
</p><p>"No! Sage forbid, no!" the women laughed, the sound scratchy on her tongue. "I don't want to be behind the wheel all the time, that would be plain stupid. I just want you to allow me to 'drive' whenever I want, and not fight me without a good reason. In exchange I would give you some clearance when it comes to some decisions - like we did back with Itsuki! Wasn't that nice?"</p><p>
  <em>How would I know that you want to have control? I don't think we can communicate like this when you're not in charge. And I don't always have the need to use chakra.</em>
</p><p>"Well, I'd just give you a mental kick!"</p><p>
  <em>What?</em>
</p><p>And then she felt it; like a gong, a slitting pain crushed in her head, echoing all around. Her thoughts 'gasped', body unwillingly shuddering. Suisen wanted to massage her temples, but her hands were unresponsive. The pain simmered down slowly and Lily's words trickled out of their mouth:</p><p>"Yeah, like that. If you feel it, flare your chakra. It's hard to miss!" she felt a smile lining her face, a total opposite of what she wanted to express.</p><p>
  <em>It was you at the beginning! You gave me that killer headache!</em>
</p><p>"Sorry. That's why I never tried it again - didn't want to startle you."</p><p>
  <em>Good choice. Well, at least now I know why it disappeared so suddenly. </em>
</p><p>"Yeah... So, do we have a deal?" the hopeful note in the question was not missed, and Suisen reluctantly joined Lily in smiling.</p><p>
  <em>Yes.</em>
</p>
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<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They travelled quickly. Not two days passed since they left Itsuki and they already brushed past a town. It was small, basing on farmers and their families. They had one convenience store in the 'town square', near a basic shrine and a decorative fountain that seemed out of place in such a hole. The people they passed threw them secretive glances, obviously not used to red-headed beauties strolling through their poor imitation of a town.</p><p>"How can you be so vain?" muttered Lily, trying to keep up her friendly expression. Suisen scoffed.</p><p>
  <em>I just know how I look. When we pass through we should put a genjutsu over ourselves; we're garnering too much attention.</em>
</p><p>"You're not wrong..." the women trailed off, waiting for one of the citizens to walk past her. In a quieter voice she added: "But what if we meet some Leaf ninja? Wouldn't it be beneficial to look like an Uzumaki?"</p><p>
  <em>No, think about it. If we meet some Konoha nin, it will be more believable if we wear a genjutsu at first! They know that other villages hound the left over Uzumaki so they expect us to be hiding ourselves! If we just march up looking like an Uzumaki they will be quicker to suspect deception! It's not everyday that a member of a nearly extinct clan knocks on your door. </em>
</p><p>"Depending on what time period this is, if I need to remind you."</p><p>They had discussed this previously, and as it turned out Lily had as little clue as her when they were. She said that she doesn't remember being anywhere near the forest they woke up in, not speaking about the fact that she has no idea how Suisen had found herself in Lily's body. The last of her memories were of the time after she was told of the destruction of Uzu on a mission - then everything grew blurry, bits and pieces swimming about like vegetables in a soup of impressions. As in, those thing might have happened, but Lily can neither confirm nor deny. She even 'showed' Suisen the mess that are her memories.</p><p>Let's say that it was... <em>Ugly.</em></p><p><em>Not really? </em>Suisen answered after a moment for thought. <em>The only known Uzumaki that ended up in Konoha was Kushina, though the circumstances that brought her there aren't known, so even that isn't a hit. I mean, she could have been brought to Leaf before Uzu was destroyed, only to become the Kyuubi Host, meaning she wouldn't really be a refugee like us. So no matter what time it is, they would have no cannon Uzumaki refugees coming to the Leaf. </em></p><p>
  <em>Well, unless you count Pain. The guy was technically an Uzumaki coming to Konoha while preaching peace...</em>
</p><p>"Who?" Lily scrunched her brow as they entered the convenience store.</p><p>
  <em>You don't know? I thought you saw most of the things I remember of Naruto?</em>
</p><p>"Yeah, well, I looked through them? They weren't the most organized things, let me tell you!" she huffed. The store looked kinda ratty, but you could see that it was cleaned and taken care of on regular basis, so Suisen wasn't concerned over the quality of their potential buys. "I may have skipped the parts that had little to do with me?"</p><p>
  <em>Oh... It's just my humble opinion but you should definitely look through them again. And, if it will be of any help, you should only read the ones labelled 'cannon'. Don't bother with the rest.</em>
</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>
  <em>Because that's the original story. The others are simply fan-fiction. Though, I'm not saying that you can't look them up, if you enjoy that sort of thing then go for it! I was just saying that the 'cannon' are the only important ones.</em>
</p><p>"Oh. Okay."</p><p>...</p><p>Despite her fur-coat, Lily was being smothered by gales. From afar, they might have looked like a snowstorm of crystals, but when you actually walked into the fray... Let's say it was far from pretty. The maniac winds picked up the fake sand from the desert-like floor and made it dance, thousand of little blades flowing in tandem, waiting to pierce anything that got in their way.</p><p>At first she was naive enough to think that they would not hurt - it was a mind-scape, after all - which turned out to be complete bullshit. Attacked by the shattered glass, Lily learned that <em>it was like walking through fire. </em>Her skin was scorched, ripped, shredded to pieces, and she left the storm looking like a pig straight from a slaughter house. Worse, even. Blood soaked into the ever-present desert, leaking between the translucent 'grains', sinking sage knows where. </p><p>This time she knew better. Her eyes were covered by big snowboarding googles, face by layers of cloth and body by the thickest fur she could imagine. Still, cold seeped into her bones, if unaided by broken glass then by fear, plain, animalistic. As when she stood under the strongest of killing intents, she could barely move; not speaking about thinking or formulating any plans more cohesive than a scattered puzzle. She could feel the glass hit her, the force behind the hits like that of a hammer, pulling her back. Climbing the dune, Lily almost tripped countless times, almost fell to what felt like her death.</p><p>Heart beating franticly, she trudged further into the lands of glass.</p><p>Into the lands of memories.</p><p>...</p><p>She was still sour about the fact that, while she could be called out of the mind-scape in an instant, she was forced to travel back to the centre when she descended from the surface. In other words, although <em>Suisen </em>could call her instantly, she could neither call herself forth nor go back to the place she left. No, she was forced to walk back across the dunes, across the icy deserts of fucking glass, just because.</p><p>
  <em>She was tired.</em>
</p><p>Her limbs ached as she shrugged of her cape, finally inside. The castle doors closed behind her securely, she took off layer after layer. The coat, the shawl, the wool sweater, the long sleeved blouse, the t-shirt... She was left with only a thin top, a bra and some shorts. As opposed to the freezing outsides, the inside of the castle was warm, tropically wet and hot, a perfect climate for a snake.</p><p>The architecture was messed up too, as if to not break the pattern. The walls were mainly stone, like in some medieval fortress, intricate candelabras and drapes decorating them. The designs of the drapes differed, some showcasing dragons, some the gores of the battlefield, all made with the finesse of master's and threads of which quality only the daimyos could afford. The styles of the embroidery ranged from traditional, how Lily remembered on her celebratory robes, to something imitating neo-traditional tattoos. It clashed once and bonded together on another occasion.</p><p>But the madness did not end there, no. All the windows were styled after Indian palaces, narrowing towards the top in arcs and semi-circles. Some of them were cut in the middle by pillars, some were wide and almost balcony-like. They were all in warm colours, red the most prominent - they were patterned too, with golden-leaf and gems.</p><p>Most lanterns seemed of Chinese design, with gentle slopes ending in spikes and yellowish paper (?) shielding the flames inside.</p><p>The carpets covering the floors were a mix of all three, sometimes with and odd Japanese reference thrown in, or tatami mats in certain rooms. Otherwise, the ground was either polished wood, sleek to the point you could slide on it like on ice, or blocks of grey stone, heated by the warm atmosphere. The carpets were usually in the middle of the paths, with more colours than a rainbow.</p><p>Hell if Lily knew how she knew what cultures all those things derived from - she suspected it was because of Suisen, some unconscious transfer of information. Not knowing seemed unsavoury, somehow.</p><p>Walking through the eccentric halls, the girl brushed pass countless exotic plants and out-of-place posters of anime shows. She had read about some of them in Suisen's memories, when she was bored enough to read about anything that fell into her hands. She probably should've looked over the Naruto memories first and foremost, but she had discovered them quite late on and some made no sense whatsoever. </p><p>She sighed.</p><p>
  <em>Now, to the library.</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>How was it? I'd tried to get into the OC's head but not be too specific. Did it work? I do hope this does not seem like the traditional self-insert type of story! The MC was meant to be unapologetic but self aware enough to know what she was doing was wrong, so...<br/>Please review! I'll welcome all constructive criticism, and maybe this will be more than a one-shot!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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